This blog is dedicated to the discussion of raising chickens in Beverly, MA.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Where Have all the Eggs Gone?

It's now early August and we're experiencing a strange phenomena...very few eggs.. from a high of 4 a day in the spring we are now getting 1 every other day. I'm not sure if it's the weather, Eunice's broodiness, or something else.

I consulted my favorite web site, http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum, and it looks like the heat is a big factor. Stress can also be an issue and that probably explains Eunice's problems. Soon the girls will moult, when they lose most of their feathers, and egg production will be low as they use their resources to make new feathers and not eggs.

1 comment:

I read about, and hooked up a soaker hose for my girls, during the worst of the heat (over 85 or when I couldn't stand the heat...) and remarkably, it cools off the entire yard. I hang it, so they don't walk on it, or peck at it. They like to stay close to, but not exactly underneath it. The light spray keeps them cool, but not soaked, and keeps egg production up.